A blog for The Urutsk Cycle and Related Subjects,
including the URUTSK: World of Mystery RPG.
Shipwrecked survivors of a galaxy-spanning empire (ruined when the core exploded) settle upon a wetlands world occupied by humans and other species. They then poke through ruins of their Ancient ancestors as they strive to regain space and then, starflight.

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Friday, November 7, 2014

The Weekend of 1st & 2nd November, '14

Saturday-

The party travels aboard the Gnome's ship and enters Normal Space, only to find they have passed through a one-way warp gate to a rend in the fabric of space. All sixteen elements are flinging ejecta into this maelstrom of shattered worlds, ruined structures, and wrecked ships. While the Unseen Servant is out plotting a course through the dangerous mix of elements, the scanners detect a habitable environment: a graveyard with a two towers base to base (like Chess Rooks).
Weirdness when they land after a hail comes through, assuring the party that although the hosts aren't human, Humans are welcome. A deep-Shadow dwelling woman zips to the three Shadowblooded and warns against the plans to bum-rush the place as the PCs were wont. A gateway arch opens for the Gnome, and the Shadow Paladin rushes in, standing astride the locations, and drops a Detect. "How gauche!" can be heard by the lot of occupants, although only about sixteen percent of the folks detected as evil (with sigils over their heads). A Hawktapus identifies itself as the caster of the gateway, and begins to chat with the Gnome. the Aetherblooded Sorcerer (Dr. Who-themed) banters with it and they exchange genetic samples. Sulk, the Shadowblooded woman races in, and continues to explain that this palce is balanced by population, so that as a certain number of occupants are selected to enter, a corresponding number must be 'exited'. The dust of the exits are collected by robots. Sulk explains in increasing Word Salad that the Overmind conditions occupants to forget their origins, themselves, and to think of themselves as part of a system, to be rearranged or removed as the Overmind desires. She finally flips out and races off.
The Party is escorted by grey guards to a Purple chamber where they are under the impression that the Overmind determines whether or not their atoms cohere, and that they have no choice but to comply or risk destruction. Stepping through a White door brings them to a game show style platform with blinding white lights shining down upon them, and not only a panel of judges, but a vast audience in the round applauding and calling for their full disclosure of secrets. Contacting Lord Hyperion, the Sorcerer is warned against 'Purchase', and 'Teeth'. the group steels itself with elemental blood expenditures, and half-wakes to find themselves back in their silver spacevan, hearing the voices of their Kherstic League operators speaking about them, while outside stands the reanimated corpse of the Rogue who intentionally snapped her neck. We held it there.TL; DR: Weird Sh!t

Sunday-

The PCs asked the Computer what they could do to facilitate her regaining control of the various dead levels of the ship complex, and apart from confronting the Wraith King on the levels above them, the PCs were told that some Sorcerers and Warlocks were tapping into the Computer's link to the CHAIN and were using it to contact their Patrons and other Higher Minds; there was a possibility they were in cahoots with the Wraith king. The PCs agreed to confront the 'locks.
The same player playing the same Shadow Paladin is in both games, and he and Eleis travelled from the hippie encampment down the slopes of the artificial mountains to the valley below. From there, they made their way into the jungle surrounding the artificial caves. They were ambushed by an _enhanced Panther (2x HP, and d8 Bite and d6 Claws; Claw/Claw/Bite routine)_ which nearly dropped the Paladin, until Eleis shattered it with a Frostlightning bolt. They harvested a 6-point Shadow crystal from it and the Paladin swallowed it. The mate was confused and when confronted with the Paladin, perceived its mate's lifeforce inside him, and submitted to his Animal Handling attempt. Now with a Frost Fox and a Shadow Panther, the Party pressed on into the caves. All the typical pro-caving difficulties were there (as a form of recreation for the Vrun on the starship in centuries past), but it was handwaved as taking 10's and 20's (I was thinking of OSRs screaming at me I was doing it wrong). Eventually came came time and a giant centipede attack, but, Frostlightning. Then Bone Naga, and Frostlightning and sword. Collecting the elecrystals from both and the spells from the bone Naga, the party pressed on.
A fork in the caves and a broken synthwood sign informed of a "___ World ___ ___ Park" up the cave or continue on towards certain uncertainty. they took the path and it lead to an artificial stone arch bridge over a icy, swift-flowing river; the far side had an adobe-style building. An Undead Construct in Qhetannian (ancient Aelbaan Urutskan culture) garb blocked the way until Eleis remembered her History and they were allowed to pass on to the main portion of the very designed locale. Meeting more Undead Constructs going through their centuries long routine of reaping non-existent wheat or spinning non-existent pottery, etc., the Party pressed on to another arch, this time over a vast chasm, leading to a building in a stalactite. Greated by another Undead Construct who covered herself in Semblance of Life; a lovely Khem-Yirinn. Their things were catalogued and wrapped in oiled skins while the Party were treated to bathing and oiling and scenting, and other beautification.
Partaking of an oily-cakey brown bar, Eleis had a rush of power and genetic memory flood over her, submerging her beneath her ancestors in a cascade like toppling dominoes going back to the 'present' in which they travelled from thousands of years in the future. This wave crashed into her 'living' ancestor; a Mummy-Lich who instantly became aware of her and opened a scrying window to her location. The Paladin and Eleis' apprentice rushed in to aid her, but the boy, overcome with awe, simply knelt. Paladin was ready to jump through the Scypane and engage the Undead, but Eleis waved them both away. The Khem-Yirinn gave all of them a potion which temporarily increased their [Cha, Wis, and Int] enough to communicate respectfully in his Majesty's presence. Whisked away on chariots, they travelled through streets with kneeling Undead-Construct peasants/subjects and arrived at the Glass and Gold Pyramid Tomb-Palace guarded by cadre of elite U-C warriors. Bowing before her ancestor, Eleis was lifted up by him as he marvelled at her beauty and power. Drinking of her blood in a force chalice, the Mummy-Lich reclined as Golden Steam settled like a cloud over him; reviewing her recent life and the links of ancestors back to him, he was saddened by the degeneration of the Empire and the vast number of hybrids (such as Eleis) the Aelbaan bred, settling to be second rate terrestrial empire of merchant fleets.
The concubine or wife of the Mummy-Lich took the Shadow Paladin to a room where he was shown an empty black mirror, told that they had captured a creature within it. Suddenly Sulk from the Saturday game appeared to him and warned that the Saturday crew was in terrible danger, and that his tie to the past would aid them in freedom. She then asked him to smash the mirror, and he dropped a Smite and Sacred Weapon on his gauntlet, breaking it. Sulk then thanked him and shattered. He was left with a lot of 'splainin to do.

1 comment:

Hmm...just want to say that in my games these days (both those I play, and those I design) "mummies" and "liches" are the same thing. Maybe I should just take to calling 'em "mummy-liches." It's accurate anyway.: )